THE PERKINS
I II I I [ I
JOURNAL
l l
FLAME IN THE FOREST
.... By HAROLD TITUS
CopyrightwNubYservlce.Harold Titus. Illustrations by Irwin Myers
SYNOPSIS
Kerry Young. a lad of seven, is pre-
pared to flee the burning lumber camp
of his benefactor, Jack Snow. who took
the YOUngster to live with h'lm at the
death of Kerry's mother. Ted V'est has
instructed Kerry to come with a rile
containing the camp's funds should it
be endangered. Flames attack the of-
rice, and Kerry, hugging the precious
rile, and Ted race to town. Ted acts
queerly. At the bank the file is found
empty and Kerry is blamed with taking
the wrong one. Snow, his headquarters
and money gone, is ruined, and soon
thereafter dies, leaving Kerry to the
Poor Commissioner. Kerry suspects Ted
and swears to even the score. In a
St. Paul office Kerry. now in manhood,
and an expert woodsman, learns of the
whereabouts of West. Kerry rescues a
lovely girl from a scoundrel, who proves
to be West, Ted threatens to pauperize
the girl, Nan Downer. She thanks Ker-
ry and tells him of the robbery, and
murder of her father and of Ted's ad-
vances. She is operating a lumber tract
which her father had purchased from
West Kerry makes camp. At the gen-
eral store in West's Landing, be finds
Ted engaged Jn a poker game.
CHAPTER IVContinued
4
"Danm Mel's cigars:" said West be-
neath his breath, tossing his smoke
away and making a wry face. "Repel"
He gazed over his shoulder toward the
storekeeper, occupied behind his coun-
ter, as if he would speak. Then he
looked back. "Count me out a hand,"
he said. "I'll run over to the house
and get a real smoke."
He rose .and went Intently out and
Young wondered. Did West so much
dislike confronting him even across a
poker table after what had happened
that afternoon that he had fled? Or
was it something else which moved
him to leave?
The game went on. four-handed, and
under relieved tension. West's place
was vacant through one round and
part of another.
On his reurn to the table, the good-
natured atmosphere which had pre-
vailed for those last few hands dis.
appeared. Again, it was a gambling
contest, although Ted's talk was, out-
wardly, all that it had been before he
knew that Kerry Young was In the
room .... Still, that feeling of ap-
prehension, of something afoot, grew
stronger in Young's heart.
It was West's deal. He riffled the
cards twice adeptly and cut them for a
third time. His fingers bent them,
sent them fluttering against one an.
other, and then two or three of the
pack leaped from his clasp, slid across
the table and spilled into his lap.
"Need a basket!" he growled and.
shoving back his chair, stooplng over,
groped for cards on the floor.
He found them, all right! He found
and gathered them in the hand w]alch
held the deck. But his other hand
"Count Me Out a Hand," He Said.
slid a second deck from beneath his
belt and when he came up the one
pack was thrust into the little stein
shelf beneath the table top while it
was the new one he thrust reward Jim
Hlnkle for the cut ....
Korry Young did not know this. But
his heart rapped smartly with suspi-
cion.
• "Out 'era, James!" tbe man said.
"And cut 'era deep because I've got
anOther feeling about this hand!"
He looked about and grinned, more
affable than he had been since Kerry
entered the game. Hinkle cut; West
beamed and . . • "slipped" the cut!
Young saw that clearly. Back to
the top of the deck went the section
Hlnkle cut y and West
was dealing, talking, chuckling over
some Joke he had made but to which
Kerry gave no heed. To find Ted West
playing the role of ruthless aggressor
this afternoon; to find him cheating at
cards tonight . . . and after all these
years of suspicion and resentment!
To the tourist at Ted's left a king,
next a four, to Young a seven, to Jim
Hlnkle a queen and to himself, a six
spot.
"The king," said it possessor, "will
risk $ dollar,"
Kerry looked at his down card. It
was the nine of spades.., and a nine
of spades without a bent corner ! The
deck had been switched, he knows
The man at his left came in; Kerry,
thinking quickly, pa'hsed and caught a
little flicker of misgiving on Ted
West's face. The man wanted hlm in!
He tossed a dollar bill to the pot,
"And a dollar!" said Jim Hinkle
promptly and Ted nodded wisely.
"That queen must be proud of her-
self again. Queens ruined Sawyer,
James. Well, I'll trail along."
The rest, also, saw the raise.
To(/ set the deck on the table before
him, ostentatiously, Kerry believed. He
hitched his chair closer to the table
and dealt, taking cards one at a tlme
from the pack.
The showing king drew a ten spot;
the four caught a nine. Young was
given a deuce and beside Hinkle's
queen dropped another ....
"Oh-oh !" muttered Ted. "You
must're felt her coming,"---turning
himself a king,
Excitement showed in Jim Hlnkle's
sallow face. Why shouldn't it? With
queens back-to-back, and now a third?
And two kings showing in two hands?
"Ten dollars," he said and his voice
was too eager.
"Well, now, James . . . I'm Just a
little bit proud of what I've got. I've
beaten those dam' queens once or twice
tonight. I'll Just tilt it a mite thls
time to try my luck. Let's bet twen-
ty-five and keep the retailers out I"
The man at his left folded; the sec-
ond hesitated and again Kerry caught
that little flash of misgiving In West's
eye. He wanted them all out now;
all except Jim Htnkle who was already
fingering his money, ready to call or
raise.
The second tourist folded and Kerry
silently shoved his cards away.
"Raisin' fifteen, TodT' Jim asked
and this time his voice was husked.
"That's the way I feel. I'll back at
yOU !"
West rubbed his chin and grinned.
"By gosh," he said, as if in chagrin.
'By gosh, Jimmy, you tryin' to beat
meT' An onlooker laughed. "I think
you're downright tryln' to take my
money and that ain't quite right ....
Back at you with twenty!"
His voice snapped on this last and
the watchers crowded closer to the
chair backs.
"Well, seeln' as you've got so much
confidence and seein' as how we've got
cards retain' . . . CaltF'
Three cards were dealt, now, with
two showing; a pair of queens, with
a lone king against them. From the
top of the deck, lying so openly before
him, West picked an ace and flipped
it toward his adversary, For himself
he turned a nine-spot.
"'The queens bet twenty-five bucks i"
Jim's voice was tight
"And the king will see the twenty-
five and raise tent" said West mel-
lowly.
Hlnkle shifted his weight. He wet
his lips and looked nervously at Ted's
hand. Then, as if deciding on caution
after a struggle, he called. HIS stack
of bills was thin, now; the heap of
currency in the center had attained
considerable size.
"Now for the last heat, Jimmy. To
you, m' lad, a trey, and to me,"--
hesitating as he looked at the card he
turned from tim deck and let a smile
cross his face--"to me. the king of
diamonds !"
So that was lt i Kerry thought to
himself. Obviously, Hinkle had threes.
Ted, from a cold deck, had dealt him-
self the case king.
West was sttting back In his chair,
smiling coolly. The place had grown
very still. Well over two hundred dol-
lars had been bet so far and West
was smiling at the distraught Jim Hln-
kle as a man will who is most sure
of himself.
"Beat the kings," West said. "If
you can and care tol"
Jim cleared his throat.
He counted his money slowly and
said, "I'm betting fifty dollars," and as
he shoved in the last af his money
Young heard the breath catch in his
throat.
Ted West began to laugh.
"Them queens 1" he said.
have to learn about women from reel
I beat 'era with aces once tonight.
Now, it's kings .... Kings beat queens,
Jimmy? Three? You got three of
the gals?"and Hlnkle strained for-
ward as West began turning his hole
card.
"Three queens." the man said husk-
lly.
"That's what I figured, along at the
last. So I Just called, you bein' out
of cash. My kings, James. retched
'emselves a triplet, too!"
Hlnkle slumped back In hls chair
weakly. In the depths of his eyes was
acute distress.
"Caught the caser !" Ted West was
saying as he reached forward with
both hands for the pot. 'Caught the
caser and--"
"Just a minutei" It was Kerry
Young's voice, with snap and iron In
it; and Kerry Young's hand lay in
an arresting grasp on West's wrist.
Ted broke short his speech, He
plunged a look hard Into this strang-
er's face.
"Jim. how much did you lose In this
pot?" Kerry asked. "You were even.
you said. a while ago."
"Hunderd 'n' eighteen," said Hlnkle
unsteadily.
Young nodded.
"A hundred and eighteen doIlars l"
That's too much to lose--"
"What comes off here.O" West, r
covering himself, shook off Kerry's
hand and drew back. Color gushed
darkly into his face. "What gee8 on
here? You weren't even in this potS"
"No. You didn't want me in."
"Makes no damn difference to me,
what you do. But you were not. it's
my pot. If you want to post-mortem
here, whatever your name is, Just
string along and huy the right."
"I've the right, now !" Young's mouth
twitched and he was a bit pale. "My
financial interest in this pot is noth-
ing. But I've an interest in It beside
that. I've been sitting in the game
and when I see a man strlpped of his
last dollar on a crooked deal--"
Ted was on hls feet. a rush of crim-
son rage flooding his face. and his
right hand was whipping at his breast,
jerking open the shirt. Buttons gave,
exposing the sweat-stained strap across
his chest and the segment of shoulder
holster.
It happened quickly; with such des-
perate quickness that Young could not
hope for escape by flight, Before him
was the table. To right and left were
seated card players, too amazed and
shocked and fuddled to be aware of
what impended, let alone to be able
to move quickly.
And so he did all that there re-
mained to do.
He rose. with a wift, flowing move-
ment. As he rose, his hand dropped
Into hls coat pocket.
"Stop it !" he snapped and his voice
was a rasp and as West's baleful eyes
caught the lift of that coat, saw the
rigid projection within the pocket, he
added in a half whisper: "Put 'era
up, Quick, or I'll . . ."
The great band, clutching at the
pistol grip in that shoulder holster,
hesitated.' Young's volce was imperl-
ous, his manner commanding.
"Up, now! Smartly, Ted West l ...
Hlgh .... Higher than that!"
Slowly, West obeyed, pantlng as he
stood there, swaying Just a little; and
then the rest stampeded for safety.
The two stood there, facing one an-
other across the table, West's eyes
glassy, a stringer of spittle at the
corner of his mouth ; and Kerry Young,
the stranger, hand steady In his Jacket
pocket, was smiling oddly.
"Next," he said. "you will turn
around so I can take your toy away.
You won't be harmed, but neither will
T,
L Now, '--as West hesitated. 'Face
to the wall, or I may have to . . ."
Once more, he left a threat unfin-
Ished. For an instant longer West
held iris ground and then tim hand
in that pocket twitched, He turned
at the ominous gesture and slowly
faced the wall.
Quickly, with a light tread, Young
stepped close behind him. A prodding
projection pressed the small of the
larger man's back. Young's free hand
went over the other's shoulder, inside
hls shirt and dragged out the flat, ugly
automatic.
From the doorway a man swore in
surprise. Ted West carrying a gun?
It was incrediblel
"Now," the stranger was saying as
he backed away, "you may do as you
damned please r'
Ted chose to turn and face Young
who was halted in mid room, cynosure
for all eyes. The hand which had coy.
ered West was still in his side pock-
et; that sharp, menacing projection
mlli held firmly against the cloth. And
then the hand came out, slowly, os-
tentatiously, dragging with it the pock-
et lining. The lining of the pocket
and a straight-stemmed plpel
One explosive guffaw preceded a
wave of incredulous murmurs. Then
these subsided as Kerry withdrew the
clip from West's pistol, ejected the
cartridges from the chamber and
spilled the ammunition into his palm,
He dropped tim pipe into his pock-
et and held the unloaded gun toward
Its owner. With a contemptuous ges-
ture he sent the cartridges scattering
across the floor, plopping and rattling
in the stillness, and then he laughed,
a rising, chesty laugh as West, face
ashen and agllsten with sweat, dumbly
accepted hts weapon.
'q?here's your toy, Ted West," he
said as the man, a-churn with chagrin,
"Now!"--as West Hesitated
"Face to the Wall."
amazeulelJ[ 'ind. l)erlt;ti)s, n species of
relief, took it from his hand. "You
may gather your ammunition later["
Voices were murmuring, like the dis-
tant sound of a storm, Someone
laughed, another swore and a third
said :
"Damned bluff[ And as for Ted's
cheatin' at cards--"
Reputations die hard l
Young swept the room with his eyes.
"As for his cheating," he said even
ly. "The money on the table belongs
to those who had invested. You will
find that the nine of spades, lying
there with the money, is a perfect
card. The nine of spades in the deck
which was dealt the last time, has a
bent corner. No one called for a new
deck: no chane In decks was men
tioned. It is my guess that on the
stein shelf before the chair occupied
recently by Mr. Ted West, good citl-
zen, may be found--"
"You rat !"
At last. West had found voice.
"You rat!" he cried again. "Other
decks? . . . Course there are! You
c'n find a half dozen on the stein
shelf !"
But hls bluster was not convincing.
He had not regained his self-posses-
sion.
"Perhaps," said Kerry wlth a shrug.
"Perhaps, West. You may be able to
alibi yourself neatly, but you know
and I know!"
He went slowly forward a few steps.
"Know me, West?" he asked. "Know
me? Never saw me, oh? . . . Maybe,
then, It'll refresh your memory to re-
call things.
"After I saw you steal from Jim
here; after I saw you cheat a poor
man for a few dollars, Ted West . .
after I saw your smallness now, I say,
then I knew that I didn't take the
wrong letter-file the day old .Tack
Snow went broke!"
Color drained from Ted's face but
Into his eyes came a glitter, a craft,
covering and subduing the gush of
insane temper such as had swept them
when he reached for his gun, yonder
at the card table. He did not speak
at once. He may have known that
this brazen youth had not convinced
all who had watched of his duplicity;
that a withering gesture had not whol-
ly wrecked the place he had built for
himself in this country.
"Don't you know me?" Kerry taunt-
ed when he did not speak. "Don't
you remember me at all? . . . i'm
Young; Kerry Young.... And I toJk
out the file you told me to take, that
day old Jack had his death blow l"
West spoke, then, thickly.
"Young?" He shook hla head. "I
know no Young .... Wrong file? Jack
Snow?" A contortion crossed his court.
tenance. "It all means nothing to me.
Who you are, what you are . . . I
don't know. Except this: you're a
rat !"
A man growled: "We're with you,
Ted! You're no crook!"
Kerry shrugged.
"Fair enough," he said and smiled
in triumph. "It answers the one ques-
tlon that's . . . bothered me. You've
come a long ways, Ted West, from a
thieving, burning bookkeeper. It's hard
for men to think their king can do
wrong, I see. But . . . step carefully,
Ted West. I've sowed seed tonight;
some seed always sprouts!"
He hitched at his belt with a frank-
ly swaggering gesture.
"After all these years, the Job was
done qulckly; in mere hours. And now
I . . . I can be on my way."
He turned on his heel and made
slowly for the door.
A buzzing murmur filled the room.
Eyes were on Kerry, on Ted Weal
standing there wlthmuch seethtng In
him. He had a role to play, this West.
He had a reputation at stake, loyal-
ties to consider . . . perhaps things
to fear. His place in the country was
in the balance, he knew. But the
charge of cheating at cards was too
fantastic, too incredible In the minds
of these other men to be of more than
passing consequence if he played his
role properly, as a respected leader
should.
He found voice at last.
"Hold np there, you [" Kerry was at
the threshol ft.
Lie turned, smiling that bitter smile.
"You're a rat!" West said again
heavily. "You're a . " . damned rat!
What's the idea, tryin' to make me
out a crook? Blackmail?
"I never seen or heard of you: And
I've only this to say, after callln' you
a rat. Just this: you'd best be (m
your way come sun-up! Your kind's
not wanted here!"
Kerry lifted a hand to scratch a
temple slowly.
"That's tough on me, Ted West," he
sald. 'Tin through, here. I stumbled
on the thing I've wqnted to know for
years. And I'd like to be gone. being
the roaming kind. But if there's one
thing I'm more afraid of than taking
root it's . . . it's being driven. Ted
West [" He began to laugh. "So I've
got to stay! I've got to llght a while!"
Lie went out into the darkness and"
his deep laughter floated back to them.
A fierce exultation racked him and he
did not look about; did not see Nan
Downer standing there in the edge of
the light shaft from a window, one
hand spread across her breast.
CHAPTER V
At about the tlme Kerry Young was
finishing his evening meal, Nan Dow-
ner and Ezra Adams, short, squat,
gray - haired logging . country doctor
who had driven out 'from Shoestring,
the county seat, walked slowly across
the trestle from Nan's headquarters to
West's Landing.
The old man listened attentively and
unconsciously slowed his pace as the
girl's story progressed toward its cli-
max. Her voice, though low, was quick
and tense, and once it caught in a
sob.
"And that's that, Ezra!, she said
tremulously. "It's me or . .. or the
property. Oh," with sudden bitter-
ness--"I've had a feeling all along
that he wasn't the man the country
thinks him to be .t,,
"That's your womanly Intuition. And
my opinion was s . . . doctor's, I
guess."
They talked for a ttvfie, standing in
the dnsk and then the girl Said:
"Now, for Jim and Elsie Hlnkle's
troubles!" and led him resolutely on.
They entered a tar Paper house
where a woman washed dishes by the
light of a kerosenelamp, her mouth
set in an expression of forbearance.
In a chair, his one leg strapped be.
tween wooden splints, a five-year-old
boy played with s battered toy. At
sight of the physician he began to
yelp excitedly and threw the toy vio-
lently away.
"Unc' Ezra! Unc, Ezra l" he cried,
his face shining. ,
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Eyes in Top of Head
Bottom-feedingsalt.water fishes ass
rule have eyes high In the head nd
gazing upward. They may, indeed, be
squarely on the crown, as in the fero-
cious "angler" or goose,fish, in skatem
and rays, and in the stargazers and
their spiny relatives, Which alines€
bury themselves in the sand near shore
watching to see and seize any Prel
that may come.ar hem ....
I
